Bermuda Hospitals Board Highlights Importance of Advance Directives

The Bermuda Hospitals Board has an Advance Directives document that is available to all members of the community. This document explains advance directives and contains examples of forms that can be used.

Advance directives are documents that you can use to provide directions for your medical care. They are used only when you become physically unable to speak these wishes. They are prepared before any condition or circumstance occurs that causes you to be unable to actively make a decision about your health care. Advance directives can also be used to assign someone you trust to make decisions about medical care.

“We encourage members of the community to obtain a copy of our advance directives document by calling 239-2002,” said Judy Richardson, Director of the Department of Quality and Risk at the Bermuda Hospitals Board. “The Quality and Risk Department implemented the hospital-wide advance directives policy in 2001, and is available to answer questions about this topic.”

Once you have completed an advance directive, a copy should be forwarded to the Clinical Records Department of the hospital, where it will be placed in your medical record.